‘Avatar’ shatters sales records — and inspires an armed heist in Mexico City

April 24, 2010 | 12:04 a.m.

“Avatar” was an unprecedented sales sensation for home-video retailers, as it nearly tripled the existing record for single-day Blu-ray sales set by “The Dark Knight.”

Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” sold 600,000 copies on Blu-ray in the United States when it hit stores in December 2008; on Tuesday, “Avatar” racked up about 1.5 million copies sold, according to sources at Fox.

The DVDs and Blu-rays of “Avatar” were also clearly coveted as a black-market commodity: According to a report issued by the procuraduría general de justicia (attorney general of justice) in Mexico City, 3,409 DVD and Blu-ray copies of the film were taken at gunpoint from a delivery truck belonging to Technicolor Home Entertainment Services of Mexico.

The report said that the truck driver was assaulted by an armed robber in the Mexican capital’s Alvaro Obregon district. According to the report, the stolen cargo had a total value of 669,454 pesos (about $54,873).

Here in the States, retailers reported that a significant number of people bought a Blu-ray player and a copy of “Avatar” together, suggesting that the best picture Oscar nominee was a tipping-point product for format change.

For DVD and Blu-ray combined, “Avatar” sold “north of 4 million units,” a Fox executive said, a record for a single day of home-video sales.

Comments

5 Responses to ‘Avatar’ shatters sales records — and inspires an armed heist in Mexico City

FACT IS –Hollywood is as good as pitching cover
for their 'fave' cheap labor source, and mass market
franchise slum paradise -otherwise known as history's
–MOST– awesomely genocidal regime —ACROSS the Pacific
-even as millions continue to suffer and die on this, the once again 'mysteriously and totally overlooked' 60th Anniversary of the epically relevant, indeed, STILL unfolding —KOREAN WAR.
AMEN
PS -and if you're deleting this message -you too are
censoring STONE COLD TRUTH.

Luckily our Cannery Row IMAX is running AVATAR, reportedly the only IMAX engagement currently in California. Their presentation is second to none as I had viewed the film in other IMAX locations. I am patiently waiting for AVATAR 3-D Blu-ray release for my home theater which by then will be equipped to view it as meant to be seen.
Congratulations to Mr Cameron and Fox for an extremely amazing film and DVD release.

I was stonnned when i heard about the Avatar news but what i can say about it, is that nobody is free to have the risk of a hihgjack, what i know from certain founts is that as the private sector and the local mexican law enforcement deparments are taking care of the case, they are working toghether in the investigation, we cant balme parties at this ponit even though it was a hard case, but what this demonstrates again, is the big Avatr}'s success, and this is the reasson of whay this is a very wantted product for the public and for the, underground poeple who likes to convert the hard work of all the eployees of a recognized company into ashes, and thats what affects more, lets think about it and lets no blame parties, now lets better work toghether and lets star making somthign about this problem called piracy.
DANIEL G.G.